Fretless

April 27, 2008

Though I will always remain baffled by the band’s decision to leave “It’s A Free World, Baby” in non-album limbo, it’s not all that hard to understand why “Fretless” was discarded despite its obvious quality. The problem of “Fretless” is that while it is exceptionally good at evoking this potent, heartbreaking melodrama, it just seems so maudlin in the context of other R.E.M. songs, particularly those on Out Of Time. If it was going to work anywhere, it’d be Automatic For The People, but as far as songs about familial dissolution go, “Sweetness Follows” is far more successful, in part because it doesn’t seem to be actively tugging on the listener’s heart strings. Interestingly, “Fretless” may be the saddest song to ever feature a vocal performance by Kate Pierson — she sounds atypically cold and distant, but she ought to given that she’s standing in for the voice of the mother in this broken family.

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30 Responses to “Fretless”

I would disagree. This song fits perfectly with “Half A World Away” and “Country Feedback” In fact, those song put together would form a broken relationship melodrama trio, like a mini opera or something. In fact, Fretless“’s inclusion into Out of Time may have tipped the balance of the scales of that album too far in that direction, so far that I think the reason for not including it may have been that they liked the other two songs better and couldn’t stand adding one more. Whereas “Free World Baby” is just an odd little fun pop song for which the word “Quirky” was invented. So quirky, that it really can’t find a home.

I really like this song. It certainly didn’t fit well with the overall mood and style of OOT, but I’m glad they put it on IN TIME (Special edition). Just another example of a decent song destined for b-side obscurity.
Good review MP!

Sorry, but I disagree; a great song, a minor classic dare I say. Every ingredient of the composition works perfectly. My favourite: the sound of the drums (everytime they kick in, they are higher in the mix, from a faint heartbeat to a very distant thunder).
And the best part:
“don’t talk to me about being alone”.

Not a question about this song…but how are you handling the Accelerate tracks? All in a bunch? Or are you going to integrate into the remaining tracks (there aren’t all that many, are there)? Or just ignore them until “Pop Songs 11” or something?

This is my all-time favorite R.E.M. non-album track and one of my favorites all around, period. Weirdly enough, right in the middle of the song, Michael busts out my initials – E.A.C. I always kinda wondered about that.

aonther amazing soundtrack song you should all check out is a duet w. vic chesnutt and stipe called ‘injured bird’ on the soundtrack of wim wenders’ “the end of violence”..
incredibly beautiful song and stipe’s vocals on it are amongst his finest ever, really..
‘fretless’ is astonishing.. as stark as anything they’ve written.. stipe’s vocals are so resonant and in a somewhat disturbing or at the least unsettling way.. kate pierson’s aloof nonchalant backing adds to the distressed tone and the simple unrelenting arrangement of the song is dark. lonely and beautiful..

Yeah, “Until The End of the World” soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks of all time. The point of the songs on the soundtrack (recorded in early 90’s) was that director Wim Wenders asked these bands what they would sound like in 20 years or so, and REM submitted Fretless. Its kind of ironic that it has nearly been 20 years and REM’s current music sounds nothing like Fretless.

Also, I admit I like the darker side of REM, but I always thought Fretless should be on side 2 of OOT as well, album tone be damned! (Throw Free World on their too).

Just listened to Organ Song in my lunch break and realised my mistake. The words aren’t “Here I am again, I didn’t even notice”, they’re “Here I am again, I didn’t even know her”. It’s been a while since I heard it and was working from memory. Kinda like the words I made up a little better…

I just have to add here that despite Matthew’s feel about the tone of Out Of Time, I have always felt that Out Of Time WAS a somber-toned, maudlin record. Nearly every song has that undercurrent of melancholy and despair (except Shiny Happy People, and even that has always fit on the record for me both as a mood break and, because of its title and way-over-the-top silliness, it almost seems like a forced or produced happiness in the context of the entire CD’s melancholia). Even the tracks that are more light-hearted seem to still be falsely so. Near Wild Heaven has the feel of that last summer of childhood when innocence is starting to be lost, Me In Honey is admittedly defiantly optimistic, but in the face of a difficult situation that will not be resolved no matter how definatly the protagonist faces it. And Radio Song is about the end of the world even if it is silly white man rap/funk. So, all that said, I think Fretless would fit in great on the second half of OOT.

I believe this does belong on Out Of Time. It is simply too good of a song to not get the invite. Reading Peter’s liner notes, I have to agree, not sure why this one was left off. My own personal take on OOT would be, scrape Radio Song (maybe) and put Me In Honey at the beginning, and this one at the end. Right after CF.
With Me In Honey, I believe that one to be about a couple breaking up when there is a child expected. This song is about a troubled family unit sometime after the child is born and aware of his families’ breakdown. Makes me wonder if, on some lyrical basis, the impetus (right word?) for the album may have been (pre) birth through the end of childhood with the parents splitting up. Kate now being the isolating/isolated parent here.
What its doing to me.

Favorite line is “I don’t hate him and I don’t hate her” very powerfully intoned.

It’s called Fretless because Mike does play a fretless bass on the song. It was made for him by a guy from Melbourne, Australia, who worked (and may still do) for Maton Guitars, Australia’s premier luthiers. If I recall correctly, it has the Australian flag on it.
I’ve also always loved this song and I made the assumption that it was about a family divided by differing idealogy, with a possible nod to the at the time quite recently re-united country of birth of the director of the film for which the song was written.